Research

ACSESS: Adapted Collaborative Strategies for Evaluating Students' Strengths

Creating Career Connections: A Longitudinal Study of Student Enrollment and Outcomes of Career and Technical Education

Creating Pathways to IT Careers through High School Career and Technical Education Programs

National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC)

National Transition Alliance (NTA)

School-to-Work Connections: Nontraditional Career Opportunities for Females With and Without Disabilities

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

Transition-Related Competencies

__________________________________________________

Creating Career Connections: A Longitudinal Study of Student Enrollment and Outcomes of Career and Technical Education


Project Summary

The Creating Career Connections Project is a research partnership between Western Michigan University (WMU), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and a Research-to-Practice Team consisting of policy and practitioner stakeholders. In conjunction with the USDOE-OSEP, this multi-disciplinary collaboration will investigate factors that influence enrollment, completion, and employment experiences of high school students with disabilities enrolled in career and technical education programs in Illinois. Successful completion of this project will provide information useful for establishing accountability assessment emphasized in the No Child Left Behind Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.

Study Design

This research will utilize population data on students enrolled in CTE programs collected by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) through three comprehensive systems: (a) the Illinois Student Information System (ISIS), (b) the Performance Management Information System (PMIS), and(c) the Illinois Community College Board’s Management Information System (ICCB-MIS).

The ISIS contains data on more than 300,000 students annually enrolled in CTE programs, including approximately 30,000 students with disabilities. The PMIS includes information on more than 30,000 students annually who complete CTE programs and transition into postsecondary education and employment in Illinois. Data for 11 school years, 1996 through 2006, will be analyzed through cross-sectional (year-by-year) analyses and over-lapping four-year longitudinal panels. Our project proposes six studies using the 11 years of data. In each study, the experiences of students with disabilities of both genders and various ethnicities will be compared with those of a comparison group of students without disabilities.

Study 1 will investigate measures used to assess students’ career interests.

Study 2 will investigate the influence of demographic and environmental variables (including the career assessment indicators) on enrollment in CTE training level programs—traditional, genderneutral, and non-traditional—of students with disabilities.

Study 3 will investigate the influence of demographic and environmental variables (including the career assessment indicators) on participation in CTE work-based education experiences—traditional, gender-neutral, and non-traditional—of students with disabilities.

Study 4 will investigate the influence of demographic and environmental variables (including the career assessment indicators) on completion of CTE training level programs—traditional,genderneutral, and non-traditional—of students with disabilities.

Study 5 will build on Studies 1–4 to determine the influence of student and environmental variables on students’ post-school outcomes regarding postsecondary education and employment.
Study 6 will investigate the influence of federal and state policy on CTE opportunities, enrollment, and services for students with disabilities.

Dissemination of Project Findings

A Research-to-Practice (RTP) Team consisting of policy and practitioner stakeholders has been created to evaluate and interpret findings, develop dissemination strategies, and disseminate project results. Dissemination will include a project website, and reports, manuscripts, and presentations to researchers and practitioners at local, state, and national levels.

Project Personnel

Principal Investigator & Project Director
Paula D. Kohler, Ph.D
Western Michigan University
Department of Educational Studies
3506 Sangren Hall
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Work: (269) 387-5955 Direct Line
Work: (269) 387-5935 Department
Fax: (269) 387-5703
Email: paula.kohler@wmich.edu

Co-Principle Investigator
E. Brooks Applegate, Ph.D.
Western Michigan University
Department of Educational Studies
3424 Sangren Hall
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Work: (269) 387-3886 Direct Line
Work: (269) 387-5935 Department
Fax: (269) 387-5703
Email: brooks.applegate@wmich.edu